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“Aren’t you supposed to be at church?” I returned casually. That’s where Muriella had gone. I’d wanted to go with her, but decided against it with all the media coverage flying in my direction.
“I would be, but we can’t leave the ranch!” he shouted. In the background, I heard a bird squawk and a gust of wind hit the microphone.
“At least you didn’t have to pretend not to sleep through Pastor Adams’ sermon.” I propped a booted foot on my knee.
“That’s not the point,” he growled. “And the girls might not be able to go to school tomorrow, asshole.”
I straightened. “Where’s the security?” I’d been assured that was sorted out. Now Mitch was telling me something different.
“Down at the edge of the property. Those vultures were cleared from the gate, but now they’re down at the road where we can’t tell ‘em to leave.” Oh, man, was he pissed off.
“I’ll get somebody on it,” I said through my teeth.
“I ain’t calling about the damn circus.” A truck door slammed and an engine came to life. “Why didn’t you tell me about this shit with Randall Hedley?”
I shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. The way he sounded, if I’d been standing in front of him, he’d knock my ass out.
“It’s nothin’,” I brushed off, running my fingers around the buttons on the TV remote.
My face flashed on the screen. I left the volume muted, unable to keep from reading the closed captioning at the bottom:The question everyone wants answered is: Where is Stone Jacobs? Spotted on set in New York two days ago, he hasn’t been seen since. He vacated his Four Seasons suite before Thanksgiving; his current residence is unknown. Is his disappearance related to the threats he recently made against one Randall Hedley of Austin, Texas? When we find out the answers, you’ll be the first to know.
I switched off the TV and tossed the remote on the coffee table.
“Nothin’?” Mitch boomed into the phone. “From what I heard, it sounds like a whole lot of something. Is Hedley circling around the ranch again?” He continued without letting me getting a word in, “You wouldn’t threaten him for no reason.”
My jaw worked as I thought about the conversation. “I didn’t threaten him.”
“Stone, I heard the recording. You threatened the hell out of him,” he argued.
I rubbed the back of my neck and searched for an explanation that wasn’t a lie, but also wasn’t necessarily the truth.
“He, uh, he’s brought up this napkin bullshit again. I told him to leave it alone and lost my cool. Son of a bitch made it sound worse than it is.” I spread my knees and leaned forward, dropping my head.
“Why’s he calling you about that? He after money or what?”
I sighed and put my hand over my face. “I don’t know what he’s up to.” That was a partial truth.
Mitch was quiet a minute, and I prayed this half-assed explanation was enough to get him off my back.
“All right, fine.” The engine noise behind him died. “Don’t tell me what’s happening. But whatever I find out when I start digging, don’t expect me to come running to you about it.”
“Don’t be like that—”
“I’m not the one lying to my family.” The sound of a fist banging on the dash made me grip my knee to keep from smashing something.
“Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“Meaning it’s not right now,” he deduced, his voice more in control. “My daughters, your nieces, heard the tape too. They’re asking me and Jules if something is going to happen to the ranch. They’re scared, and quite frankly, after this conversation, so am I.”
I pushed to my feet and moved to the window. Traffic zoomed past below. People strolled along the sidewalk. And I was up here, trying to figure out how to protect my family without involving them.
“You take care of the ranch and don’t worry yourself.” I winced as soon as I heard myself say it.
Silence. It stretched long and wide to the point I wasn’t sure if he’d say anything else. But then he did.
“I’ve supported your dreams. Been proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished. But maybe you’ve been away from home too long, forgotten where you come from. In this family, we don’t lie to one another. We work together. Fame has changed you.”
I swallowed around the baseball-sized lump in my throat. I’d been lying for so long about my career, it was second nature. He’d never know I didn’t want to do it, that I hated being away from all of them. That he thought fame had turned me into a person he didn’t like gutted me.
